Tamping machine



Jan. 29, 1929. 1,700,194

P. F. CONNELLY TAMPING MACHINE Filed Nov. 23, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a n ucm'toz II? F. E c: 'LTL 511i.

Patented Jan. 29, 1929.

UNITED STATES PETER rnAN'oI's COliTIiTELLY,

or SPOKANE, wi'sameeoa.

ztanrine MACHINE.

Application filed. November This invention is a machine for tamping railroad ballastabout the railroad ties and has for its object the provision of a machine which may be mounted upon the track rails and easily moved along the same as the tamping operations progress. A particular object of the invention is to provide simple and compact n'reans for operating the tampers and to provide means whereby the tampers may be readily adjusted to conform to the width of the ties. Other objects will appear incidentally in the course of the following description and the invention resides in certain novel features which will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail elevation, with parts broken away and in section, of the talnpers and their mounting, and

Fig. 5 is a detail section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

In carrying out the invention, there is provided a car consisting of a platform or frame 1 mounted upon wheels 2 of the usual form adapted to run upon the rails 3. The frame or platform is preferably of skeleton construction whereby useless weight is eliminated and consists of side sills connected at their ends and between their ends by cross bars 4: whereby the necessary rigidity is attained, cross braces 5 being disposed between the end portions of the sills and between the respective end and intermediate cross bars, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The int'ern'iediate cross bars 4 are disposed on top of the side sills and extend beyond the ends thereof, shown most clearly in Fig. 3, and upon the said intermediate cross bars are secured subsills 6 which constitute supports for bracing yokes or arches 7 near their centers and at their ends support spaced yokes or arches 8 whereby a crank shaft 9 may be mounted above the platform. At the center of the crank shaft between the intermediate braces 7 a band pulley 10 is secured upon the crank shaft and a belt 11 is trained about said pulley and a driving pulley 12 which is secured upon the power shaft of a small engine 13 mounted upon one end of the main frame or 23, 1927. Serial Nb. 235,390.

platform. This engine is preferably of the internal combustion type and is illustrated in a conventional manner only. All of the braces 7 and 8 are constructed at their upper ends to provide bearings 1a in which the crank shaft 9 is journaled and cranks 15 are formed in the end portions of the shaft between the outer braces 8, as shown most clearly in Fig. 1. Carried by the respective cranks are pitmen 16 which depend therefrom and have across bar 17 fitted in their lower ends whereby the cross rod will be caused to reciprocate as the hangers follow the movement of the respective cranks when the crank shaft is rotated, and it will be understood that the cranks are disposed in the same plane radially of the shaft and that the pitmen are "of thesame length so that the cross rod 17 will be maintained in a horizontal position as it is reciprocated vertically. The end bracing supports 8 have vertical webs 18 formed integral therewith whereby a space is provid;

ed to accommodate the cross rod, and fitted upon the cross rod between each pair of webs 18 is a crosshead 19 which engages the opposed inner faces of the adjacent webs and is guided thereby so that the cross rod will be held to a true rectilinear path in a vertical plane. The cross rod 17 projects beyond the outer bracing frames 8 and upon this rod are mounted a plurality of tamping mechanisms which depend from the rod and operate at the sides of the frame 1 and through the central portion of the same so that the ballast at the sides of the track and between the track rails may be acted upon, as-will be understood, Each tamping mechanism com prises a shank 20 having a half bearing 21 formed at its upper end to cooperate with a removable half bearing 22 whereby the rod 17 may be encircled, the upper half bearing carrying a set screw 23 adapted to engage the rod, as will be understood upon reference to Fig. 4, so that the shank will be maintained in a perpendicular position below the rod. The lower portion of the shank 20 is threaded and at its extremity is provided with a hand wheel 24- having an internally threaded bore whereby it may be caused to ride up and down upon the shank in adjusting the tampers, as will presently appear. At an intermediate point in the height of the shank 20 is a head 25 which projects beyond the sides of the shank and to the ends of this head are pivoted the upper ends of toggle links 26, lower toggle links 27 being pivoted at their upper ends to the lower ends of the links 26 and at their lower ends to a crosshead 28 which is thereby carried by the toggles and may move vertically with respect to the shank. The head 28 is centrally enlarged so as to encircle the shank and between the heads 25 and 28 an expansion spring 29 is coiled around the shank, as shown clearly in Fig. 4. Between the under side of the head 28 and the hand wheel 24, a light butler spring 30 is disposed about the shank. Between the ends of the links 26, arms 81 project forwardly and rearw rdly therefrom, and these arms are provided near their ends with openings 320 through which the tamper stems 32 pass. The extremities of the lower crosshead 28 are likewise formed with openings 33 through which the tamper stems pass and at the lower end of each tamper stem a toe or spade 34 disposed substantially parallel with the side of the tie, indicated at 35, and slightly inclined relative to the stem so that the working edge of the toe or tamping spade will be presented to the side of the tie.

It will be understood that the machine is brought into position with the crank shaft vertically over the tie against which the ballast is to be tamped with the tampers disposed at the opposite sides of the tie, as shown in Fig. 2. The engine is then started and will rotate the crank shaft which, in turn, will impart vertical reciprocation to the cross bar 17 and the gang of tampers carried thereby, the toes or spades being consequently alternately lifted from the ballast and then lowered against the same, the weight of the gang of tampers accelerating the downward movement so that the impact of the spades or toes against the ballast will have considerable force. The machine will operate rapidly so that the ballast against a single tie will be quickly tamped into place and tightened as required. After one tie has been tampcd, the machine is pushed to the next tie and the operation repeated. lVhile railroad ties are approximately all of the same width, there is actually appreciable variations in the widths of different ties and the toggle n'lounting shown and described enables me to adust the tempers so that the spades or toes thereof may be readily set to conform to the width of the ties. if the hand wheel 2st be rotated so as to ride upwardly upon the threaded shank 20, the lower crosshead 28 will be moved upwardly thereon and the toggle links moved relatively so that the pivotal connections of the links in each pair will swing outwardly, the arms 31 of the upper links being thereby caused to move outwardly with respectto the shank 20 and impart like movement to the upper ends of the tamper stems so that the lower ends of the tampers will be moved closer together. If the hand wheel 24 be adjusted downwardly upon the shank, the tamper toes will, of course, be given reverse movement and caused to set farther apart. The projection 25 is formed integral with the shank 20 or rigidly secured thereto so that it will extend parallel with the track and the side of the platform or main frame, and the toggles are, of course, thereby held in corresponding relation to the shank in ad Vance and at the rear of the same in the direction of travel of the machine so that the tampers will be maintained at the sides of the tie at which the machine is to operate. The toggle mounting for each pair of tampers is compact and maintains the tampers in proper position to strike upon the ballast. It will be understood that the tampers are heavy so that the impact upon the ballast will have the desired force, and the motor will be equipped with suitable clutch or brake elements whereby the action of the tampers may be suspended and the tampers held raised when the machine is to be moved from tie to tie. To cushion the upward engagement of the arms 31 with the tampers, buffer springs 321 are interposed between said arms and the heads of the tampers.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A tamping machine comprising a portable frame, a cross rod mounted on the frame for reciprocation in a vertical plane, and tamper mechanisms carried by said cross rod and each comprising a shank secured to and depending from the cross rod, toggles mounted on the shank, and tampers carried by the toggles and disposed at opposite sides of the shank.

2. A tamping machine comprising a portable frame, a cross rod mounted on the frame for vertical reciprocation, and a plurality of tamper mechanisms carried by said rod, each of said mechanisms comprising a shank secured. to and depending from the rod, upper toggle links pivotally supported on the shank in advance of and at the rear of the same, lower toggle links pivoted to the upper toggle links, a crosshead carried by the lower toggle links, means for effecting vertical movement of the crosshcad upon the shank, arms projecting from the upper toggle links, and tempers mounted in the ends of said arms and the lower crosshcad.

2:3. tamping nnchine comprising a. port able main frame, a cross rod mounted for vertical reciprocation above said fran'lo, and a. plurality of toggle mechanisms carried by said rod, each of said mechanisms comprising a shank secured to and depending from the rod, a pair of upper toggle links pivotally mounted at the front and the rear of the shank, lower toggle links pivoted to the lower ends of the upper tog 'le links, a crosshead pivoted to the lower ends of the lower toggle links and extending forwardly and rearwardly from the shank, arms projecting forwardly and rearwardly from the respective upper toggle links, tamper stems mounted through the ends of said arms and the ends of the lower crosshead, an expansion spring disposed about the shank and exerting pressure upon the lower erosshead, a hand wheel threaded on the lower extremity of the shank below the cresshead, and a buffer spring disposed between the crosshead and said hand Wheel. y

In testimonywhereof I aflix my signature.

PETER FRANCIS CONNELLY. [L. 5.] 

